Reviews

Rick Riordan's first young adult novel in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, written in 2005, follows Percy, a 12-year-old special school student with multiple learning difficulties. After his teacher turns into a demon, his best friend Grover takes him to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods. Grover reveals himself to be a satyr and Percy's protector. Percy also meets Annabeth, the 12-year-old daughter of Athena, who is highly intuitive. She explains to him that children of gods have different qualities to humans, which humans can only understand as being learning difficulties when in truth they make you better for fighting and more intelligent. She says that she was diagnosed with things too in mortal land. The three go on quests and adventures together (in this instance, finding Zeus' stolen lightning bolt). The book is consistently entertaining, easy to read and incredibly fast-paced despite being long in terms of children's books.

My favourite character was Annabeth, and I really enjoyed reading her and Percy's dynamic. My favourite scenes in the book were the Thrill Ride Of Love scene at the abandoned theme park and of course the Lotus Casino scene. My favourite scene in the book was one of the last fight scenes, where Percy talks about how much he appreciates Annabeth and Grover: 'They had both been with me through so much. I remembered Grover dive-bombing Medusa in the statue garden, and Annabeth saving us from Cerberus; we'd survived Hephaestus's Waterland ride, the St. Louis Arch, the Lotus Casino. I had spent thousands of miles worried that I'd be betrayed by a friend, but these friends would never do that. They had done nothing but save me, over and over.' These books are perfect for kids, especially disabled ones, and I am really excited to read the next one.

zoooeee's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

periapt's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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